European Patent No. 375 399 describes a sensor having a thin film element. The thin film element is comprised of a pure platinum layer, which is fixed to a dielectric layer of silicon nitride by means of adhesion layers of metal oxides. The silicon nitride layer spans, bridge-like, a recess in a silicon substrate. This device is used as a mass airflow sensor, the bridge being heated, and the cooling, from the air flowing past, being measured. The temperature of the bridge element is measured through the temperature dependence of the platinum layer's resistance.